Gasoline gauge



H. G. LEE

GASOLINE GAUGE w w w 1 1 1 m a 7 9 V n M 3 noun #0:

Patented July 29, 19 24.

PATENT orrlcn.

HARRY G. LEE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO LOUIS D.

' COVICH AN'D TWO-THIRDS TO DAVID oHusE'r'rs.

FINIKL-ES'IEIN, BOTH OF BOSTON, MASSA- ensonmn GAUGE.

Application filed March 1, 1922. Serial No. 540,284.

provide a simple, practical and efficientgasoline gauge of strong and durable construction. designed for indicating the level of gasoline in tanks or other containers wherever'placed and particularly adapted for use 01. the dash or other portion of automobiles and other motor vehicles and equipped with a pivoted pointer and a scale for plainlyand accurately indicating the level of gasoline within the gasoline tank a of the machine.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated inthe accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form. proportion and minor details of constru tion, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing-anywof the. advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, in which like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in the several views Figure 1 is a front elevation of a gasoline gauge constructed in accordance with this invention and shownto apply to the dash of an automobile.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view the same, the gasoline tank and the siphon tube being illustrated;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the gasoline gauge. I

. In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, the gasoline gauge which, while being particularly. adapted for use on automobiles and other motor vehicles,

is also capable of general use for indicating the level of. gasoline within a tanker other source of supply and it comprises in its construction a body 1 consisting of a casting of substantially oblong form provided withvertical or longitudinal chambers 2 and 3 and having at the top a horizontally projecting neck 4 and a vertical head 5 arranged in parallelism with the body 1 and s aced therefrom by the said neck 4 to enab e the body to be'arranged at one side of the. dash 5 of an automobile and'the head 5 at the opposite side or face of the dash, the neck lvbeing arranged in a slot or opening 6 of the dash, as clearly illustrated in Figure 3 of the accompanying drawing. The head, which is preferably circular, is also preferably fitted in the dash and it is equipped with a flanged rim 7 approximately L- shaped in cross section and suitably secured to the periphery of the head 5 and having its outwardly extending flange 8 forming a face plate and provided with perforations 9 for the reception of suitable fastening devices for securing the gauge to the dash. The gauge may be mounted on the dash or other portion of an automobile or other motor vehicle in any other desired manner.

The Wall 10 or intervening portion between the chambers 2 and 3 of the body 1 of the gasoline gauge terminates short of the lower end of the body and a glass tube of U-shape is mounted in the body, its bend or connecting portion 12 being arranged at thelowerend of the body below thesaid wall or portion 10. One side or leg of the tube 11 is arranged in the chamber 2 and the other side or leg is arranged in the chamber 3 and the tubeispreferably supported in position by a plaster of Paris 18 or other suitable plastic material which ma be readily poured around the tube and whic will rigidly hold the same in properposition within the body or casting 1. One of the walls of the body will be constructed separate and suitably secured to the body in order to enable the tube to be readily introduced into the body. The front side or 1e of the tube 11 is extended above the rear si e or leg which, with the plaster of Paris, terminates a short distance below the upper end of the chamber 3 to provide an intervening space between the upper end of the rear leg and a threaded closure plug 14 which is screwed into the upper end of the chamber 3, the latter being threaded for the reception of the closure plug 14, as clearly indicated in Figure 2 of the drawing. This intervening space 15 is for the purpose of The upper threaded end of the valve providing a suitable connection between the upper end of the chamber 3 and a vacuum tube 16.

The siphon or vacuum tube 16 extends to and is connected with the bottom of a gaso-v line tank 17 so that variations in the amount of liquid within the gasoline tank or other source of supply will cause corresponding variations in a column of mercury 18 within the glass tube 11. The suction or vacuum tube 16 may be connected with the bottom of the tank 17 in any desired manner and the tank may be arranged in any suitable position below the plane of the bottom of the mercury tube 11 and the upper end of the suction or vacuum tube 16 is connected with the casting by means of a fitting comprising a tube 19 threaded into the body 1 and connected to the tube 16 by a union 20. The tube 19 is provided at one end with a reduced threaded portion 21, which is screwed into a suitably threaded aperture of the body 1 adjacent the upper end of the chamber 3 and the other end 22 of the-tube 19 is of greater diameter than the threaded portion 21 and receives the union which secures the flanged nipple 23 to the pipe 19. The suction or vacuum tube is secured to the" nipple 23 and the flange 24 of the nipple fits against the adjacent end of the pipe 19 and forms a ground joint therewith. The pipe 19 has a central polygonal portion and a relatively small bore or opening 25 and the said polygonal portion is provided with a threaded socket 26 communicating with the bore 25 and receiving a valve body 27. The valve body, which consists of a central polygonal portion and threaded terminals, has a bore or opening which is enlarged at the upper portion to provide a valve chamber 28 for the reception of a ball 29 which seats at the lower end of the valve chamber at the enlargement of the bore of the said bodfi 217.

is equipped with a removably threaded ca 30 adapted to be readily detached to permit a suction pump to be connected with the suction pipe or tube for exhaustin the air therefrom to cause the gasoline rom the tank to rise in the suction pipe or tube and fill the same and also the space 15 and the space within the rear leg of the mercury tube, above the mercury therein, to form a continuous liquid body from the rear leg of the mercury tube to the gasoline tank for transmittin the said variations in the depth of the aso ine within the tank. After the air has een completely exhausted'from the rear le 6 and the vacuum or suction tube the bal valve will be maintained automatically closed and will prevent the entrance of air into the suction or vacuum tube and the threaded cap 30, which is adapted to be qeser' wed tightly against the upper end of valve-body will effectually prevent the downward and variations in the amount of liquid within the tank will produce varia tions in the height of the column of mercury within the front leg of the mercury tube and as the gasoline within the storage tank is consumed the column of mercury in the front side or leg of the mercury tube will vary and will operate a float 31.

The float 31, which is preferably in the form of a glass bulb so as not to be aflected by the mercury, is connected with the lower end of a rod 32 extending upwardly in the front side or leg of the mercury tube through a slot 33 in a closure plug 34 which is threaded into the upper end of the chamber 2, the body 1' being threaded for the reception-of't'he threaded plug 34. The upper end of the rod 32 is provided with a slot or opening 35 through which passes an eccentric element- 36 carried by a gear wheel 37 and provided at opposite sides of the rod with suitable collars or flanges 38 for maintaining the rod in proper position with relation to the end of the eccentric element 36. The eccentric element 36 consists of a horizontal rod or member and the gear wheel37, which is mounted on a suitable stub shaft or pivot 39 meshes with. a pinion 40 suitably secured to one end of a horizontal shaft 41 journaled in a central bearing opening in the circular head 5 and equipped at its upper or front end with an indicating pointer 42, which is movable over numbered graduations 43 of the said head. The numbers may be arranged on a dial or applied tothe head in any other of'the indicating hand or pointer 42 will y register the variations in the height of the I gasoline in. the gasoline tank 17. Owing to the difference in-the diameter in the lar e gear and in the small pinion a relative v small movement of the mercury column w' be translated into a relatively great amount of movement of the indicatin hand or pointer so that the latter, and its position with relation to the graduations, may be plainly seen by the operator of an automobile or other motor vehicle. As the gasoline gauge is located at a higher level'than the liquid within the storage tank there will be a constant pull on the mercury column within the rear leg, due to thetendency of the action of the vacuum or suction tube to empty.- Should the supply tank become entirely empty the mercury will hold the gasoline within the suction or siphon tube as the suction or siphoning action will not be suflicient to pull the mercury out of the legs of the mercury tube.

What is claimed is:

1. A gasoline gauge, including a body consisting of a casting provided at its top with front and rear openings and having an intervening wall or portion terminating short of the lower end of the body and forming two communicating chambers, a mercury tube of U-shape arranged in the said chambers and having its bend or connecting portion located below the said wall, plastic material surrounding the mercury tube and securing the same in position in the said openings, closure lugs secured in the said openings one of t e plugs being provided with a slot, a float operating m the front opening and having a rod extending through the slot of the closure plug, a head or member having a pivoted indicating hand or pointer, gearing for transmitting 2 motion from the float to the indicating hand or pointer and for increasing the said motion for causing the hand or pointer to move a greater distance than the float, and a suc-. tion or vacuum pipe connecting the gauge with a gasoline tank.

2. A gasoline gauge, including a body having front and rear chambers communicating at the bottom, a suction or vacuum pipe, a fitting connecting the suction or vacuum pipe with the rear leg or passage and provided at its upper portion with a socket, a valve body mounted in the socket and provided with a valve chamber, an automatic valve operating within the valve chamber, a cap for the valve body, indicating means located at the front leg or passage, and a suction or vacuum pipe connecting the gauge with a gasoline tank.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 

